The Gift
by CrazyJan57
Summary: Zorro takes Victoria for an early morning ride where secrets are revealed. One shot. Based on NW Zorro


**THE GIFT**

Disclaimer – I don't own the rights, Zorro Productions Inc does - I just like to play with the characters.

Plot – Zorro takes Victoria for a pre-dawn ride where secrets are revealed.

One shot story - although it might be considered too long for a 'one shot' but it's definitely shorter than my other stories :)

Contains mild sexual references.

* * *

><p>"Victoria." Zorro whispered as he stood beside her bed after lighting a candle on her small bedside table.<p>

When there was no answer he reached out with a gloved hand and gently shook her shoulder. "Victoria wake up."

She stirred, mumbled something he couldn't hear and turned over, deep asleep once more.

He grinned as he shook his head; he didn't realise that she was such a heavy sleeper. He moved his gloved hand to the mattress beside her shoulder, leant down and planted a soft kiss her to hair. "Querida, wake up." he urged her.

"Zorro." she murmured as she unconsciously touched his hand and tried to pull it closer to her.

"Senorita Escalante, I'll have you know, I'm not that kind of man." he said in a louder but teasing voice. He would love nothing more than to join her in bed and show her how just much he loved her but he couldn't. Not without his ring officially on her finger first.

This time Victoria heard the familiar male voice and jolted awake. "Zorro...what...Is anything wrong?" she asked worriedly as she sat up in bed, holding the covers to her chest. Zorro had never visited her at such a late time, he always came just after she closed the tavern for the night and now she was concerned that something terrible must have happened.

He shook his head with a smile. "No, nothing is wrong. I was just wondering if you would like to come for a ride with me."

She raised an eyebrow in disbelief. "What! Now? You can't be serious, it's the middle of the night."

He chuckled. "Actually it's almost dawn but I have something to show you." he replied mysteriously.

She frowned slightly. "Can't it wait until the morning?"

He shook his head. "No, it has to be now. So will you come?" he asked once more.

Victoria smiled warmly and threw back the covers. "Of course I'll come with you." she replied eagerly as she swung her legs over the edge of her bed and stood up.

Zorro's eyes widened as he stared at his lady in her nightgown; a nightgown that really didn't leave much to the imagination, especially with the candlelight shining behind her. "I'll wait outside for you." his voice was a little husky as he turned and quickly left her room before he changed his mind.

She blushed as she realised why he had hurriedly scrambled out of her window. Her nightgown was an old one so therefore it was rather thin in some places but she simply couldn't part with it; it was cool to wear on a warm summer night.

z

Five minutes later she was dressed and standing in front of her small barn where Zorro was waiting for her. She frowned when she saw that he had saddled her own horse. "I thought I was going to be riding with you on Toronado." she tried to keep her disappointment from her voice but failed miserably. She loved riding with him, loved the feel of his strong broad chest against her back, loved the feel of his arms around her.

Zorro chuckled at her obvious disappointment. "Well, yes you can but we'll have take your horse too." he replied as he lifted her up on Toronado's back and got on behind her.

"But why do we need my horse?" she asked curiously as he settled into the saddle.

"It will take us some time to get to where we are going and it will be daylight by the time we get back which means that Mendoza and his men will be at their morning chores, so unfortunately I won't be able to bring you all the way back home." he replied as he urged Toronado into an easy trot, the reins of Victoria's horse tied to Toronado's saddle horn.

"Oh, I see." she replied as she rested her head against his broad chest, her arms around his back. "This is nice." she sighed with happiness. She always relished any time she had alone with the man she loved and this was no different. In fact this was better as she was in his arms, a place where she always wanted to be.

Zorro chuckled softly. "Very nice, querida." he replied as he wrapped one arm around her to keep her secure.

"Where are we going?" her voice showed her contentment and but also her tiredness; the last several days had been very busy at the tavern with all the endless orders for food and drinks.

"It's a surprise. It'll be some time before we get there so why don't you try to sleep." he replied as he kissed her hair.

"Sleep, how can I sleep when you do that." she joked.

She felt and heard his chuckle. "Just relax, I'll wake you." he said softly.

Victoria didn't think she would but with the warmth of Zorro's body and the gentle pace of Toronado's gait, she drifted off into a light sleep.

Zorro let out his own sigh of contentment as he felt Victoria relax in his arms and knew that she was asleep. He longed to have her fall asleep in his arms, to feel her soft curves pressed against him but he never imagined that it would happen while he was riding Toronado. He just hoped that everything would be okay once they reached their destination, hoped that she wouldn't be too mad with what he had done over the last five years.

z

Ten minutes later Zorro pulled Toronado to a stop at the base of a steep incline. "Querida, wake up." he whispered.

"No, I don't want to." came her mumbled reply, she had just woken up but she wanted to slip more deeply into sleep, she felt so safe and secure that she just wanted to sleep in his arms forever.

He grinned. "As much as I want you to stay asleep in my arms. I need you to wake up."

She sighed and pulled her head away from his enticing chest. "Are we there?" she tried to look around but it was still dark with just a few stars to light the way. How did he know where to go, she wondered.

He shook his head. "Not yet but I do need you to sit astride as we have to climb for a couple of minutes."

She nodded her understanding as she shifted her position.

"Hold on tight Victoria, it will be rough going and I'll need both hands to control the reins." He advised as he tied Victoria's mare to a tree that had plenty of fresh green shoots before he settled himself more firmly in the saddle, pressing himself against her to secure her tight as he could.

She nodded as she took a hold of the saddle horn in front of her. "If I didn't know better I would say you that are kidnapping me." she teased.

He chuckled. "What makes you think I'm not?"

She giggled. "Well, Senor Zorro, you're a very considerate kidnapper, very polite and kind."

He laughed. "Always at your service Senorita."

Victoria shivered slightly as his warm breath tickled her neck.

"Are you ready?" he asked as he ignored her slight tremor for he needed all his concentration for the climb.

She nodded. "Si."

He gently nudged Toronado's side and urged the great stallion forward up the steep incline.

Over the next several minutes, they climbed over the rough terrain and Victoria was once again amazed at the ease of his horsemanship, of Toronado's sure-footedness as they climbed higher and higher. She wondered how he could see with only a smattering of stars in the sky but as she looked down, she noticed a small trail along the ridge. She would never have known of its existence had it not been for Zorro.

They finally reached the top and Zorro pulled Toronado to a stop. He reached over and patted his faithful stead on the neck. "Good boy Toronado." The great stallion snorted and nodded his head. The extra weight had made no difference for him and the somewhat familiar scent of Victoria was no trouble, as he knew that his master was nearby.

Zorro leapt to the ground and then helped Victoria down. "Sorry for the rough ride."

She chuckled as put her arms around his neck. "Its okay but a kiss will make up for it." she replied as she pulled his head down for a tender kiss.

He let out a small moan at the feel of her soft sweet lips against his and he just wanted to lose himself in her but it wasn't the time for that. There was a reason why he brought her up here and if they continued kissing, they would miss it. So he reluctantly pulled back from her.

She whimpered at the loss of his warm lips and tried to pull him back into her embrace; it had been a long time since they had last met and she wanted to make up for lost time.

He saw her disappointment and quickly pressed his lips against hers once more before he took a step back and removed his gloves and placed them over the saddle. "As much as I want to go on kissing you Querida, there's a reason why I brought you up here."

"I guess it wasn't to have your way with me then." she huffed in disappointment.

Zorro shook his head in amusement. "No it wasn't. I have something to show you."

Victoria could make out his masked face now and realised that it was becoming lighter, dawn was approaching. "And what would you need to show me that you had to drag me out here in the middle of the night."

He reached out and gently tucked several strands of her hair behind her ear. "Something beautiful." he replied softly.

She leant into his hand and tried to hold back her emotions, she just wanted to launch herself into his arms and kiss him soundly. She felt a flush creep over her face at her sudden and unexpected yearnings. "So, where is it?"

He chuckled at her impatience. "My, you are impatient, just wait a little longer querida."

Just then a gust of wind blew across them and Victoria shivered. She didn't imagine that they would end up on top of a cliff when Zorro had asked her to go for a ride and so she did not dress warmly. Her skirt and long sleeve blouse did nothing to protect her from the cool wind.

Zorro cursed himself, he should have remembered how chilly it could be at dawn. He pulled her back against his chest and then wrapped his heavy satin cape around them both. "Forgive me querida, I should have told you to dress warmly." his voice full of regret.

She leant back into his embrace and almost immediately began to warm up. "It's okay Zorro, I should have asked you. Where exactly are we?" she asked curiously.

"We are high in the hills behind Los Angeles and the pueblo is down in front of us." he replied as he pointed with his hand.

For a time, they relaxed in companionable silence until Victoria let out a gasp of delight. "Zorro look, the sky is changing colour."

He grinned at her obvious pleasure and with his arms still around her, they watched as the grey sky, shadowed with dark clouds, began to soften into a lighter shade of pink, then shimmered to a burnt orange that seemed to make the whole sky glow with an eerie light as though they had landed on another planet.

"Oh Zorro, look it's all around us." she exclaimed excitedly as she stepped out of his arms to gaze around them in wonder as the colour changed once more, to a much more deeper oranges and reds as the sun made its appearance in the sky; it created an almost supernatural glow over the entire landscape.

"Look, you can see the pueblo now." Zorro said softly. He too was overwhelmed by the beauty of the sunrise and he knew that had been right to come here. He had noticed the stunning sunrise three days ago, when he was returning to the cave from tormenting the Alcalde once more and he just had to share it with the woman he loved.

Victoria turned around and looked down into the valley. She saw that the amazing sunrise had not yet reached the pueblo as it was still in semi darkness but as they watched, the vibrant colours slowly reached the buildings and bathed it in such a spectacular radiance that it was as though the entire village was on fire.

"It's so beautiful." she whispered in an awed voice.

"Yes but not as beautiful as you Victoria Escalante." Zorro said, his voice crackled with his emotions as he stepped behind her and wrapped his arms around her once more.

Victoria blushed as she heard the deep love coming from his very being. "Thank you for showing this to me, I wouldn't have missed it for anything." her voice soft with her love for him.

"Happy birthday querida." he said as he pulled her tighter against his chest.

Her blush deepened even more as she felt a surge of happiness rush through her. "You remembered my birthday!"

"Of course I did." he whispered as he began to nuzzle her neck. "I love you, mi preciosa." he whispered against her soft skin.

She shivered. "I love you too Zorro." she replied as she leant back against him. A soft moan escaped her lips at the amazing sensation of his warm lips blazing a trail of hot burning kisses over her shoulder and she arched her neck to give him better access.

Zorro couldn't resist the invitation even if he wanted to as he planted soft moist kisses along her warm skin and as he started to nibble on her earlobe, he felt her tremor and heard another soft moan escape her lips.

When he finally lifted his head, she whimpered from the loss of his warm lips.

"Do you want me to stop?" he teased, his voice husky and deep with longing.

"Don't stop." she pleaded, her voice crackled with her emotions.

He raised his hand and gently trailed his fingertips down her neck and was stunned but pleased by the strength of her shudders. He wanted to give her a birthday that she would never forget.

"Dios." she moaned, she had never felt such longing, such desire to be with him; she felt as though she was burning up. She was stunned by his actions; never before had he been so passionate, so blatant with his kisses and caresses that she was simply overwhelmed by all sensations he was creating within her. She didn't want it to stop, she wanted more, much more.

Zorro just couldn't get enough of her warm soft skin and lowered his lips once more but this time to the other side of her neck. All he wanted to do was to kiss her all over and with that delicious image in his mind, he began to feel the first hot stirrings of his lower body. She shivered again and arched her neck once more, his moustache tickled her skin and she simply melted into his arms. She knew that if she wasn't being supported by his strong arms, she would be on the ground in a puddle of mush.

He nibbled on her earlobe sending another strong shudder through her slender frame. He knew he should stop right now, that as a gentleman he can only go so far but he was slowly losing the battle. A battle that he didn't know if he could fight any longer, he didn't know if he wanted to fight it any longer. She was simply too hard to resist as he blazed another hot trail of lingering kisses down her smooth neck and along her silken shoulders, his hand unconsciously inched towards her breast.

Even through the hazy fog of her desires Victoria was aware of his moving hand and a small smile tugged at the corner her lips. In their recent meetings she had begun to notice this particular caress. He would never actually touch her; he would move his hand only so far. Sometimes when he held her at the waist, his hand would lift to feel the swell of her breast and his thumb would give a number of flicks before he moved back down again. She knew that he wanted to touch her but was too much of a gentleman to do so.

Boldly she took his hand and gently placed on her breast, over her blouse and his reaction was immediate, much to her satisfaction.

His sharp intake of breath seemed very loud to her as he raised his head at the sudden feel of her softness under his hand. "Querida." he whispered hoarsely.

"Please." she pleaded, her own voice sounded strange to her ears.

"Dios." he groaned as he gently flexed his fingers around her soft flesh. He had longed to touch her here, to know if she felt as soft as she looked. And now he knew. Not only she was wonderfully soft but she filled his hand like he knew she would. This knowledge went straight to his groin and there was nothing he could do about it. He knew that she could not remain unaware of his desire considering just how tight he was holding her.

Victoria did indeed become aware of his growing desire but she didn't pull away like he thought she would. In fact, she instinctively pressed herself against him, causing a low groan to slip from his lips and for his hand to tighten its hold on her breast. She moaned as his thumb gently brushed over her nipple, causing it to tighten into a hard little bud. He held back a low moan that threatened to escape; he knew he had to stop right now before their mutual desires got out of control, before he made her his in all ways.

With great reluctance, he gently removed his hand from her softness and took a step back to try to regain some control over his raging emotions.

Victoria whimpered when she felt his warmth disappear and turned to face him but he stopped her. "Stay there." his voice was barely recognisable. He knew that if he saw the longing on her face, his resolve would crumble to little pieces and nothing would stop him from doing what he longed to do, what they both wanted to do.

"Zorro..." she didn't recognise her own voice. She was shocked by her own deep longings, by her overwhelming need to be with him. She knew that she would willingly make love to him, right there on the ground if need be.

"We can't querida, not here, not like this." he said roughly.

"But it's my birthday." she said trying to lighten the mood between them as she tried to control her own wild emotions.

He chuckled. "Si, I know and I was going to..." he broke off, not sure if he should continue with his surprise, not after such rampant desires from both of them. He wasn't sure if he would be able to stop the next time their emotions got the better of them.

She frowned. "You were going to do what?"

When he didn't answer, she nudged him with her elbow. "What were you going to do?"

He sighed, he would never hear the end of it if he didn't answer. "I have a gift for you."

A gust of wind blew over them but now that the sun was now up, it wasn't as chilly but still Victoria shivered, more in excitement than with cold. "You don't have to give me anything more Zorro, this sunrise was the perfect gift."

He shook his head, which she couldn't see, as they both stared out over the large valley, the ocean shimmered in the far distance. "This is something that I want to give you, something I need to give you."

Victoria cocked her head at his mysterious words. "Something you need to give me?"

He sighed as he stepped closer to her and gently placed his hands on her shoulders and to her surprise; she found them to be shaking. "Zorro, what's wrong? You're shaking."

He snorted. "I'm somewhat nervous." that was an understatement, he thought to himself. He didn't know if his nerves were from what he was about to do or from what had just happened between them. Or perhaps it was a combination of both.

She raised an eyebrow that he couldn't see. "What on earth could you be nervous about?"

"Oh there are many things to be nervous about but if you could please hold out your hand querida" he said vaguely as he removed his hands from her shoulders and untied his mask. He was taking the final step towards a future with Victoria and was nervous as hell. He had beaten back his fears as much as he could and had planned to unmask to her for some time. All that he wanted was the right setting and the right time.

Victoria heard a swish of material and before she knew it Zorro had placed something soft, warm and black in her outstretched hands. It took her several moments before she realised what it was, what it meant. "Is this…is this your…mask?" her voice cracked and her throat constricted in disbelief.

"Yes, it is." Diego's voice shook.

"You're...You're unmasking...now!" she couldn't think, she couldn't take in the sight of the black silk in her hands.

"Yes I am." he confirmed softly.

Victoria was too stunned for words as she raised the mask to her face and inhaled deeply. She loved his scent, so clean, so masculine, so familiar. It made her feel wanted and loved, it made her feel safe. "But...but...why now?" she blushed at what her words sounded like. "I don't mean to be ungrateful."

Diego chuckled and planted a soft kiss to her hair. "I understand." he took a breath and released it slowly. "I love you so much Victoria that I find myself no longer wanting to live without you. I want to marry you and to have children with you. I want us to grow old together and to see our grandchildren come into the world."

She blushed deeply at his declaration of love. "I love you too Zorro but…but what about the Alcalde?"

He shrugged. "We'll work something out."

Victoria looked down at the mask in her hands, her heart pounded hard in her chest. She never thought this day would come, that he would actually unmask for her. That he would overcome his fears of her loving only the legend and not the man of flesh and blood.

"Unless you are planning on handing back the mask, you can turn around." he teased.

"Oh you... I'm never handing this mask back to you" she replied with a small smile on her lips. "I'm just a little nervous, like you."

He chuckled. "Well there's only one way to get rid of the nervousness."

She giggled. "To turn around."

"Si."

Victoria took a couple of deep breaths to control her nerves and slowly turned around. She gasped as she stared into the face of her best friend, Diego de la Vega. "Madre de Dios, you!"

"Yes it's me." Diego said anxiously as he watched for any disappointment to cross her face.

"But...but how...why..." She stammered, still in shock by the fact the Diego was Zorro.

He gave her a little smile. "Because I happen to have a skill with the sword and I abhor injustice of any kind."

As Victoria stared into his face, all the pieces fell together. All the tiny clues, that he, that both of them had dropped over the years, why Diego was never around at the same time as Zorro was. Why Diego seemed to change in a matter of days when he first came back from Spain. Most importantly, she realised that she loved him, really loved Diego but had buried deep within herself because she had been enamoured of Zorro. In that regard Diego had been correct, she had enjoyed being singled out by the mysterious masked man but as the years passed, she had fallen in love with the man. And that man was Diego.

Diego watched in fear as the emotions rapidly swept across her face, too fast for him to recognise. He didn't know if her silence was a good or bad thing but as the silence dragged on, his fears grew more and more until he couldn't take it anymore. He had to know what she was thinking, he had to know what her answer would be.

"Vict.." he got no further as he suddenly found himself with an armful of his lady and her lips locked on his. It took a second or two to realise that she was kissing him. She was actually kissing him! She was accepting him! He wanted to loose himself in her sweetness but he had to know, had to hear it from her, so he pulled back from her tempting lips.

"Victoria..." he couldn't say it, his throat constricted at the most dazzling smile that she had ever given him and he fell more in love with her.

"I love you Diego de la Vega and right now I'm going to kiss you senseless." she didn't wait for an answer and gave him the most amazing, sensuous kiss he had ever known.

She tenderly kissed him before darting her moist tongue along his lips, waiting, hoping. He groaned as he willingly parted his lips under her gentle coaxing and shivered as her tongue slipped inside and merged with his in an exotic dance that had him bewitched. He slowly came to his senses and began to kiss her back, to return her obvious passion with his own. Victoria groaned in pleasure as he began to kiss her, gently at first and then more demanding as he slowly lost himself to their mutual desires.

While they kissed with increasing urgency, their hands were busy exploring everywhere they could reach. Buttons were undone, blouses and shirts were pulled up from waistbands, belts unbuckled, fingers glided over bare skin. It was only when they came up for air, did they realise just how far their passions had travelled. Neither one of them knew how, but somehow they had ended up on the hard ground together, with Diego laying half across Victoria.

"Madre de dios, Victoria, I am sorry, so sorry." he blushed deep red, thoroughly embarrassed that he had been so out of control. He scrambled to his feet, adjusting his clothes, deeply mortified at his actions. This was not the way he wanted to make to love her, not on the hard, cold ground. He wanted his ring on her finger, a wedding and a soft comfortable bed.

"Its okay Diego, it wasn't entirely your fault" she panted as she stood up and straightened her clothes, she too was shaken by what had almost happened. She knew without a doubt that they would have made love there and then on the ground if they hadn't stopped. In her heart of hearts, she didn't want her first time to happen like that and she knew that Diego didn't want that either.

They stared panting at each other, silently agreeing that they would wait until they were married.

"So..." his voice cracked as he gazed intently into her soft brown eyes and saw nothing but love and was overjoyed that his fears of her rejection were groundless.

"So..." she replied with a small smile as she returned his look, found herself drowning in those blue eyes.

He gave her a wicked smile that melted her insides. "I guess that means you love me."

Victoria chuckled. "Oh I think you could say that Diego. What are we going to do now?" she asked softly.

Diego shrugged. "I am not sure but obviously we can't go back to the way things were."

"No, I don't think we can. In fact I don't want to go back." she confirmed.

He nodded. "Neither do I. We will have to be careful in public at least for some time."

"I agree but Diego, I want to show the whole world that I love you." she said.

"I know, I too want everyone to know of my love for you but we can't show it without raising suspicions."

She nodded as she walked a couple of paces on unsteady legs. "Somehow, I must change my love from Zorro to you but how?"

He walked towards her, now that his raging emotions were under some control. "Perhaps a courtship." he suggested.

Victoria raised an eyebrow. "A courtship will take a long time and I don't think I can wait that long." she gave him a knowing look.

Diego nodded in understanding, he didn't think he would be able to wait that long either, not after what had just happened. "Perhaps you can have a fight with Zorro and afterwards I can console you in your grief." he suggested.

She smiled. "Perhaps but you would have to do a lot of consoling as I've been with Zorro for a long time."

He chuckled as they walked slowly towards Toronado. "I don't mind the consoling bit but the fight with you." he shook his head as they stopped beside the stallion. "I would hate to do that." he said as he gently brushed her hair away from her face.

Victoria melted into his touch, then suddenly she giggled as an idea came to her mind. "Perhaps Zorro won't have to fight me, perhaps he can fight you instead."

He frowned. "What?"

She nodded. "Yes, I think that would be better. Have Zorro fight Diego over me." she giggled again at the thought.

He shook his head in confusion. "How can I fight myself?"

Victoria almost bounced on her toes as the idea formed in her mind. The idea of having two men fight over her, seemed very romantic. It would be a fitting end to the so called romance of the pueblo.

"You could have someone dress up as Zorro and then you can both have a fight. It would have to be in public so that everyone can watch but it would have to be far enough away, so that no-one will suspect anything, say by the wooden sign at the entrance of Los Angeles. Zorro would have to defeat you, perhaps even wound you and I would come running to your side. I would then turn on Zorro, tell him what a horrible person he is to fight against someone who doesn't have the skills, then I would tell him that I no longer want to see him and then I would nurse you back to health and we can tell everyone that we have fallen in love. What do you think?" she giggled like a schoolgirl.

Diego stared open mouth at her, dumbfounded as he pulled on his gloves. How on earth had she thought that up? It would simply never occur to him even with his own very vivid imagination. He roared with laughter, it was too silly for words. "I don't think so querida. It could never work." he said as he lifted her onto Toronado's back for the ride down the ridge.

Victoria huffed at his laughter; she had thought that it was a good plan and felt a little hurt that he didn't see it. "Well, I think it could work. Besides can you think of anything better?"

Diego shook his head before he retied the mask back on, climbed into the saddle and urged the stallion towards the pathway. "Actually I can't. Yet."

"Well then, at least you could do is to think about it." she huffed again.

"I'll think about it. Hold on tight, it will be harder going down than it was coming up." he warned.

Victoria wrapped her arms around him and held on tight. "You know, it would make the perfect way for us to be together."

Zorro groaned. "I have a feeling that this won't be the last time I hear about this plan."

She chuckled. "Not a chance." she replied as they began the slow but arduous descent to the bottom.

* * *

><p>Fifteen months later.<p>

"Push Dona Victoria, just one more." Doctor Hernandez urged his patient.

"I'm trying." she wailed and she put all her energies into one last push and within moments she heard her baby's cry for the first time.

"Doctor...what...?" She tried to raise herself up but she had no more energy.

"It's a girl, Dona Victoria, a healthy daughter. I'll clean her up and then she'll be all yours." Doctor Hernandez replied cheerfully.

Sometime later Victoria was cradling her baby daughter in her arms when the bedroom door opened.

"Querida." came her husband's soft voice.

"Come in Diego." she called out just as his worried face appeared around the corner. His eyes widened as he took in the sight of his beautiful wife with their newborn baby in her arms.

"Say hello to your daughter, Catalina." Victoria smiled warmly.

Diego eased himself down on the bed and gazed in wonder at their daughter. "She's so tiny."

Victoria rolled her eyes. "She didn't seem so tiny awhile ago."

He turned his concerned blue eyes to his wife's brown ones. "How are you?"

"Tired, a little sore but Diego, she's perfect."

"Si she is" he settled more comfortably on their bed and placed his arm round Victoria's shoulders. "I love you querida."

"I love you too Diego." she paused then grinned. "My hero." she teased.

He groaned and shook his head. "I still can't believe that I went through with that crazy plan of yours."

She giggled. "I can't believe that you didn't duck when Felipe swung his fist at you."

He snorted. "Well that was the plan wasn't it? I just never realised that he had such a good left hook."

"But my plan worked." she replied with a sense of pride.

He chuckled. "It worked amazingly well, thanks to you and your 'care' of me." he planted a soft kiss to her head. "Although I still can't believe that no-one realised that it wasn't Zorro, I mean Felipe is a head shorter than me."

Victoria snorted. "Well you were both in the distance, so no-one would have noticed the difference." she tried to stifle a yawn but couldn't.

"You need to rest." Diego said concernedly.

"Nonsense, I'm fine." she replied tiredly.

He smiled. "Here let me put her in the crib, then you can rest." he leant over and Victoria carefully passed her sleeping daughter into the arms of her father.

Diego's heart simply melted as he held his tiny daughter for the first time and felt tears in his eyes as he gently kissed her forehead and slowly carried her to the crib on the other side of their room. He carefully placed her down and softly caressed her face with his fingertip. "Sleep well little one." he whispered.

He turned back to Victoria to find her already asleep. He smiled contentedly to himself as he pulled the covers over his wife. He had everything he wanted, a beautiful wife and a gorgeous baby. No-one knew the secret except for his father and Zorro hadn't been seen since that day of the fight. Even de Soto seemed subdued now that he had no adversary to deal with and instead, he seemed to be more active in running the pueblo as duties of his office demanded.

Diego settled down into the large overstuffed chair that was in the corner of their room to keep watch over his ladies and he began to daydream about their future together, of their future children and he hoped that they would one day, see their grandchildren come into the world.

* * *

><p>THE END<p>

I hope that everyone enjoyed this light-hearted story :)


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